Young and the Senseless
by Serenola Greenleaf
Summary: A young and restless Legolas is bored. His father wouldn't let him join the patrols forcing the youth to seek his own amusement. But what happens when a young ranger boy called Èstel comes to visit Mirkwood. NO SLASH, NOT A MARY-SUE! Please Read & Rev
1. Night Stone

Young and the Senseless  
  
Chapter 1: Night Stone  
  
** = thoughts () = translations "" = speech  
  
PLEASE NOTE! I have made some changes to make this a bit more real as I don't know the exact happens about Aragorn as he was when he was 15. This is basically just guessing what it would have been like. If you notice any inconsistencies please bring them to my attention. Cheers! (  
  
Golden beams of light shone through the tops of the forest trees littering the ground with pools of orange sunlight. The sun was descending behind the horizon, making a beautiful rainbow of colors against the darkening sky, stretching the shadows as day turned into night. The fair-haired creature sat lazily on a thick bough high up in an old tree. His legs draped either side of the branch leaning his back against the strong trunk of the tree. His head was tilted slightly back with his eyes closed as he absorbed the smells and sounds that symbolized the ending of another peaceful day.  
  
It was one of the few times that he could spend by himself. He wasn't old enough to actually join in the patrols that roamed the borders of Mirkwood protecting it from the dangers of the outside world, mainly Orcs. He was too old to join the younger children in their games as they ran through the forest close to their homes so there watchers could keep an eye on them. It wasn't fair, he was the best bowman that has been seen in Mirkwood for full millennia (1000 years), as he so often reminded his father King Thranduil, and also that as prince of Mirkwood, he had a responsibly to assist in protecting his people, but he still couldn't join in the patrols.  
  
As an act of desperation for some action, he would sit in this tree whenever he could find the time and watch for any sign of a traveler on the path below, which just happens to be the main path to get to the palace, that he had a perfect view of from this tree. Rarely had he ever seen anyone traveling on the road, and when he did, it was the same group of rangers that came and went as it pleased them. There were 9 of them altogether. All of them with excellent hearing and sight, almost enough to rival that of an elf. Almost. On particularly boring days when he spotted the rangers, he would silently jump down to the lower part of the tree he usually sat in and he would follow the rangers. He was not surprised when 8 of the rangers didn't react or acknowledge his presence as he followed them for the rest of their journey to his home at the palace. It surprised him that on most occasions that he followed them, a small dark haired boy that rode with them would look around, straining his ears and eyes to look for something or someone that was following him. This boy was acutely aware of his surroundings in a way that both surprised and intrigued the light-footed elf prince, but what he did notice was that the boy was in his growth period, probably a just growing into a man. The elf prince himself was just rounding his 2 900th birthday. *the life of a man is so fragile, why do they continue when their lives are extinguished so quickly?* It was a question that had puzzled the elf since he had first learned of the humans.  
  
The beings eyes flew open, revealing deep crystal blue eyes that could easily cause the on-looker to fatally underestimate the young elf. Having heard the distance sound of laughter carried up on the wind to his hiding place in the tree. It was the rangers again. His game of following the rangers through the trees was getting boring. Only the boy ever picked up on his presence, even though he didn't know the origin of the instinct that said they were being followed. The young prince decided that he'd follow the group on the ground, not through the trees. It was much more difficult, the forest floor was scattered with dry leaves and sticks that could easily make a noise if trod upon that would alert all the rangers to his presence. But in his current bored state, he didn't care; maybe they would hear him and give chase. It would give him excellent practice in fleeing without leaving a trail for someone to follow. A being followed by a ranger was almost as much as a challenge as being followed by his father after a simple prank on his friends backfired and hit his father instead. Laughing silently at the memory as he pushed it back from his mind he began to climb to the lower branches of the tree to await the rangers to pass before he began to track them.  
  
After what seemed like an age, the rangers finally rode their horses past where the elven prince sat patiently. Waiting for a few moments until they were a relatively safe distance away, he climbed down the rest of the way to the ground. *Let the game begin* the elf thought smiling to himself as he trailed after the group.  
  
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There was that feeling again, he always had that feeling that he was being watched and followed whenever he came into the Mirkwood forest. Yet he never could understand the origin of it. He had never said anything to the other rangers in the group because he was afraid that they would laugh at him and tease him for being frightened of the elves. When it was in fact the complete opposite. The teenage human found elves a most fascinating race. Then again, as he was raised by the Lord Elrond of Rivendell for most of his life that was to be expected. At the age of 12, he had left the safety of Rivendell to accompany this group of rangers to the north for a bit of outside training by his own race. Although he had found the lessons easy and the combat practice interesting, he couldn't help but feel... Confined by the restrictions of his teachers human bodies as well as his own body. Back in Rivendell, his elven teachers seemed to have unlimited skill and energy which he was impressed immensely by, but among human kind, everything seemed to be slower and less accurate. He easily became the top of all his classes and lessons and even took some combat lessons with the adults and matched most of them with his skill and energy. That was how he came to join this group of rangers, after having lost their last boy companion to a group of Orcs, they came in search for another companion. Once seeing his talents and skills, they immediately asked Estel to join there group. It was the proudest moment of his life.  
  
As a 15 year old boy now, Estel was in the middle of his growth period. He was strong and fairly tall for his age, the constant training since he could remember meant that he had perfectly proportioned muscles that he didn't hesitate to assist him in a battle. Yet, with all his training and experience, this one track made him uneasy. He could feel a pair of eyes on him, watching his group moving down the path. He could feel the figure silently moving through the forest, easily maintaining the pace they set and yet still managing to do it without making enough noise to attract the attention of his fellow rangers. This was a mystery indeed.  
  
Once again, as he followed the rest of the rangers along this path he felt the eyes upon his group and the owner of those eyes following them. Yet, this time was different somehow, a bit more focusing and he concluded that the person that was following them was still behind them, but this time, they were on the ground. *Soon it would be time to act and to uncover this person that always follows us along this path* the young ranger thought. He leaned forward in his saddle and pretending to reposition his dagger in his boots and whispered to the horse to slow down just a fraction. With what can only translated as a yes from his fine black stallion the horse slowed just a fraction and allowed the other horses to draw away from it.  
  
As the other horses drew away from him, he began to try to sense which side of the road his follower was on.  
  
"Estel, what's the matter? Why are you drifting back?" came the dark husky voice of his old archery teacher.  
  
"I think that Mor Sul (black wind) is just tired, he is carrying more than usually on this trip." Estel quickly lied, hoping that the keen ranger wouldn't sense anything amiss.  
  
"Try to keep us in view then, I don't want to push Mor Sul too hard in case he resists but I don't want you to get lost. If you get too far behind we will stop and wait for you to catch up." Estel nodded his accent to this and the man turned to face forward in his saddle accepting that Estel would follow his instructions.  
  
Getting lost was easy in the dense forest of Mirkwood, but Estel was confident that he would find his way to the palace even if he was lost. With a quick whisper to his horse to keep their distance from the other rangers but still in their view, he again through his senses to his surroundings to locate his tracker. The being was very light-footed and almost untraceable. When he was about to give up when he heard a twang from a branch that must have been caught on something, the persons clothes perhaps? *Gotcha!* the ranger thought. Suddenly jumping off his horse, he sprinted towards the invisible figure in the forest as fast as his growing legs would carry him. Once he reached the forest, he expected to find the being, it would smile impishly at him and beg for forgiveness, then Estel would take it to the rest of his group to prove that he knew someone was following them and then they would praise and congratulate him for his extraordinary skills. But as he reached the spot where the being should have been, it was empty.  
  
*Whatever it is, it's fast, quiet and smart. Of course, it's an elf!! That's why I've only ever had this feeling in this area, it must live here!! And this must just be a game for it!! But is it male or female?*  
  
The question stuck to Estel's mind as he followed the almost silent fleeing of his usual follower, which he had just identified as an elf and as a skilled tracker, skilled enough to avoid detection by 8 experienced rangers but not by a ranger boy. Odd. Every now and then he would spot his target that he was pursuing at an alarming speed. The swish of its cloak. The reflection of the sunlight on long golden hair. Had he not been pushing himself to his ultimate limits, he would have very much enjoyed this chase. Rarely did any of his training partners present him with this much challenge and rarely was he able to not catch up with his target by now. He was making progress, yet he still was a long way from catching the fleet footed elf that most probably knew this land inside out.  
  
*oh well, it's an experience* thought the young ranger as he tore down through the trees after the elf.  
  
*******************  
  
The sudden movements of the human boy surprised the elven prince. When the boy leaned forward and whispered to his horse, it wasn't what had surprised him. What had surprised him, was that the boy spoke elvish!! Strange that he spoke common to the older ranger and elvish to his horse. Most unusual for a boy of his age. But Legolas continued to follow the group, but with his senses on total alert. As the boy slowed his horse down, Legolas had a strange feeling he was going to try something. Positioning himself so that he could still follow group but could flee the instant anything unusual happened. When he saw the boy leap from his horse on to the ground, he leapt through the gap that he saw between two large trees away from the road. He ran as fast as he could while still managing to leave as little proof of his presence as he possibly could. He could hear the clumsy boy following him.  
  
*He's quick and agile but not very quiet, it's a wonder that he has survived with that group of rangers knowing all the trouble that they would get themselves into* chuckled Legolas to himself.  
  
If this boy wants to blindly run into the forest after him, so be it, he will learn a valuable lesson that he won't soon forget. Reaching up, he took hold of a branch and launched himself into the trees. Taking a few microseconds to regain his balance on the change of terrain, the elf took off running across the low branches the trees.  
  
*This is going to be fun!* the elf thought to himself allowing a smile to slowly spread across his face.  
  
*******************  
  
Estel ran through the forest after his ex-tracker. When he reached a break in the trees he searched for evidence which direction the elf went in, but he was unable to find any evidence that the elf came this way.  
  
*Blast!! I was positive that he came this way!!* Estel thought angrily. Then, Estel remembered that he was tracking an elf that had always followed them in the trees, so he must have taken to the trees in a bid to escape capture. With a quick look around, he spotted the place where the elf would have taken to the trees. He quickly followed the elf into the trees and began his pursuit again.  
  
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Legolas stopped at his favorite place amongst the trees. They were particularly thick here and the best thing about them was that if you went up high enough, even the keenest of elf eyes couldn't see through the branches to the hiding figure above. This was where he planned to ambush the impatient, brash young ranger. He quickly scaled the hiding passage up through the branches to his hiding place and his collection of dull arrows and a weak bow as well as several pouches with different sized stones in them.  
  
*We'll see if he is so rash in the future.* Legolas thought to himself and allowed himself a small chuckle before he took a few arrows and a pouch of small stones and the weak bow and moved to the nature-made seat in the tree branches to be in position for when the foolish boy emerged from the trees..  
  
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Estel thought he was catching up, he could swear that he could hear the elf being coming closer with every hurried step he ran. In fact, it seemed that the elf had stopped moving altogether.  
  
*how odd, maybe he thinks it's safe to stop as he thought he lost me in that clearing* Estel thought smugly.  
  
He cautiously made his way into yet another clearing. A look on the ground proved that the elf being hadn't gone to the ground which meant he was still in the trees. Looking up, he could barely see the sky above, although he knew it was almost pitch dark and he would need to get back to the group. The net of branches seemed to be impassible. That meant the elf was around his height up in the trees. Scanning the trees around him, he could find no proof which way the elf had gone. It was scary. No proof, nothing, nowhere, he couldn't have disappeared into thin air. Could he? He'd heard the stories from drunken rangers about the mysteries of the elves, but he didn't believe them, until now. As he turned to leave, an arrow thudded into the tree between his index and middle fingers.  
  
*Oh my God! That was close, either it's an excellent shot and meant to scare the living wits out of me or it was aiming a fatal blow at me but missed and I was just lucky not to be hit by the arrow. Either way, it's still getting dark, and Thirden would kill me if I don't take care of Mor Sul before it was completely dark.*  
  
He turned around and left the clearing heading back towards the direction of the camp. Then, a stone came from somewhere and struck the ranger on the back of the neck before landing in the hood of his cloak. Estel reached back into the hood and grabbed the stone and pulled it in front of him to look at. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. It was as big as his thumb-nail and just as wide. The stone was pure flawless black color was cut through with streaks of lime green. It was by far, the most beautiful stone he had ever seen. Taking a quick look around the clearing once more, he turned and headed back to the road.  
  
*******************  
  
Watching the ranger boy leave with his favorite rock and not even flinching when his perfectly aimed arrow landed in the between his fingers, Legolas couldn't help but be disappointed.  
  
*Oh well, they usually stay for several days, maybe even a week. There'll be plenty of time to have fun. Besides, if they reach the palace before me, I'll have a lot of explaining to do. Better go and revert into the perfect little prince my father expects to greet our guests. Farewell, until the next time we meet my loud tracker, farewell to you, young ranger.*  
  
Legolas jumped down from the trees and ran to the palace to change and bathe before his quests arrived. ********************************************************************  
  
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	2. Mystery Note

Young and the Senseless  
  
Chapter 2: Mystery Note  
  
** = thoughts () = translations " " = speech  
  
As punishment for straying from the group and returning after dark, Estel had been punished by having to care for all the horses for the entirety of their stay in Mirkwood. It wasn't so bad, much, it could have been worse; he could have been told that he was not to go anywhere but the palace as well as cleaning and grooming the horses for the week that they were staying there. Instead, Thirden had threatened that as his next punishment should he chose to "pull a stunt like that again". If Estel ever found that elf, he would give him a beating to remember. The only trouble was that he only knew the elf was quick, smart, and agile with long blonde hair and wore an elf cloak. That narrowed the search to about 100% of the Mirkwood population. He didn't even know if the elf was male or female.  
  
After he picked up the bucket to empty it in the garden outside he could do what he wanted as long as it wasn't dangerous, stupid or improper and that he was back before dark. Just as he turned to replace the bucket to its place he almost ran into the elf that was standing directly behind him. It was slightly unnerving that this elf could manage to get behind the ranger boy without him even sensing him. But then again, he was in Mirkwood, which was to be expected. The elves here were known for there tracking skills and quietness. All elves in Mirkwood were excellent archers, but this particular elf, Prince Legolas, was indeed a magnificent archer, he could hit any target dead center without fail. He was absolutely fantastic to watch while he practiced. And he looked as though he and Legolas would be the same age, had it not been for the glowing beauty of the elf, the unspoken grace in his stance and the pointed ears of the elf, they could have been the same age.  
  
"'Quel amrun, Taren Legolas, amin hiraetha lindua lle ele" (Good morning, Prince Legolas. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there). Estel stuttered out trying to sound as formal as any man could that just emptied a bucket of horse manure then be confronted by a royal elf.  
  
"Please, let us speak common, I believe it would be much easier for you." Said the elven prince in a quiet kind voice as though he was speaking to a child. "Do you have any current plans for the day?"  
  
"No my prince, my day is open to allow my heart to wander wherever it wishes in this magnificent forest." Suddenly, Estel wondered if he had spoken too bold to the prince of Mirkwood. His worry subsided when he saw the elven prince smile softly.  
  
"It is refreshing to hear a boy speak his mind even in the face of royalty, it re-enforces my belief in the human heart. I must admit that I believe that such short-lived beings such as yourself could ill-afford to allow their heart to lead them anywhere." He laughed at an unknown joke that Estel didn't get. But it seemed that the prince was mocking the way he seemed to spend his life. Trying hard to retain his calm voice and posture, Estel had to excuse himself. "Yes my prince, if you will excuse me, I wish to explore a particularly interest patch of forest I stumbled upon yesterday while..."he paused thinking of an excuse to be in the forest at dusk, "searching for fire wood." Yes, that would do.  
  
"Fire wood?" the prince looked skeptical, but kept his accusations to himself. "May I accompany you to this patch of forest that has won the heart of a ranger boy?" The elf prince asked and flashed his blue eyes at the ranger boy innocently.  
  
*Damn those eyes* Estel cursed angrily, who was he to refuse such a polite and proper request to accompany him to the trees where his chase ended the night before? "of course, my prince." Perhaps you could help me to understand something once we arrive there."  
  
"Understand something? About the patch of forest? Of course, I know all the areas around this palace and along the paths. I would be happy to assist you with this!" *10 gold pieces I know what this is about* thought Legolas smugly.  
  
***************  
  
"Here it is" announced Estel as they came to the clearing with the tightly webbed branches above. After having a quick look around, Estel turned back to Legolas who was staring dreamily at the net of branches above.  
  
"Ah, many a time I have tried to see what is on the other side of those branches, never made it though. A shame though, it would be perfect for hiding. I have sprained and broken my wrists and ankles several times trying to make through them." He slightly shook his head as though to clear it, his golden hair flowed softly behind him by the slight breeze. He turned his blue serious gaze on Estel. "Is this why you wanted to come here? To try to get up there?"  
  
The seriousness in Legolas' tone shocked Estel, he had not seen Legolas this serious about something not directly relating to the safety of his father's kingdom. "Actually no, I know that to try to go up there is suicide, it's impassable." Noticing the embarrassed guilty look of Legolas' face, he realised his mistake in saying what he just said. *I need to get a healer to remove my foot from my mouth, think before you say anything in the presence of royalty and a dangerous foe.* How many times had Fourtine tried to drill that into him? "No offence intended to those that did try it, I was not intending it to be insulting." Estel blushed furiously as he tried to practise damage control on his embarrassing situation.  
  
"No offence taken, I have learnt my lesson, besides, it helped me become a better archer. So I have learnt many lessons in this clearing. Broke my leg for the first time trying to jump across this gap. Kept doing it until I could, because of it, I learned how to fall and inflicting minimal damage, jump across wide gaps and how to regain the precious balance that is needed to keep you on the branch once you actually reach the other side." Smiling fondly at the memories, he turned to Estel. "Why did you come here again?"  
  
Temporarily set back from the release of personal information by the prince Estel struggled to regain his purpose for being here. "I was just wondering, is it possible for someone to enter this clearing from up at that tree with the arrow in it but not land on the ground or go into the net of branches above? Is there anywhere to go from there?"  
  
"I'm not sure what this has to do with firewood" giving Estel a quick glance then returned to staring at the arrow. "but I don't remember that arrow ever being there before. Did you put it there?"  
  
"No, I did not." Estel said truthfully.  
  
"Strange." Legolas quickly and elegantly jumped up to where the arrow was and pulled it out, studied it for a second then jumped down to the ground. He held his palm out and made to stab his palm with the arrow. Shocked, all Estel could do was shout "NO!!" as the initial shock wore off, Estel dared to look at Legolas' palm, expecting to see it run through with the arrow. But, oddly enough, the arrow wasn't through the palm, it didn't even draw blood or pierce the skin of the elves beautiful hands. "Relax my friend, it's blunt, couldn't draw blood even if it wanted to. Only a extremely strong bow could put enough force behind this arrow to make it pierce skin. Only a weak bow would be needed to force this arrow into a tree. Most children use these to practise, though they usually have a special mark to show that the arrow belongs to them. I've never seen this mark before. But I shall have to find the owner and return this to them and give them a severe warning. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."  
  
As Estel absorbed this information, it all made sense, he was being followed by elvish children. Tricky little creatures that loved to test there skills. But this figure from the first night had not been a child. It had been an experienced elf. Odd. The ranger decided that he had enough of this mystery and decided to test his tracking skills for the rest stay. "Thank you for your assistance prince Legolas. I look forward to seeing you around. We will be staying here for another 6 days. Good day." After a short formal bow he turned and left.  
  
"And I look forward to seeing you around too young Estel." Legolas said softly to himself. "More than you know." He smiled as his plans for the young ranger boy started to form. *A quick innocent look here, a blush of embarrassment there and you have a foe that will severely underestimate you. I can't believe that was so easy! Foolish trusting ranger boy.* He looked down at his hands as he held a small note and yet another night stone similar to the stone he threw at the boy yesterday night.  
  
***************  
  
Estel slowly opened his eyes, it was morning already, and it seemed that he had just gone to bed. Yet he heard the laughter of the elf children already at play and the quiet business around his room in the palace. Deciding he had better get up and start seeing the care of the horses, making sure they had a comfortable night and had plenty of grain and water. As he reached slowly got out of bed stretching each of his muscles as he slowly walked over to the pile of clothes, provided by the elves of Mirkwood that sat on a chair just inside the door. As he changed and washed his face in the tub of cool water, he stared into the looking glass and wondered what he would look like with the manly stubble of a unkempt beard. He smoothed his hand across his face hoping to find so feeling that he was growing a beard. No such luck. *It will happen Estel, be patient.* He carefully reminded himself. As he continued to stare into the glass at his reflection, a reflection of the glass seemed out of place. It was a note and it was beside his bed. Turning away from the looking glass to view the note face-to-face, he noticed that yet another small rock of fascinating colors.  
  
He stared at the rock, the one was the same size as the first rock, but in place of green lines, it had royal blue lines. It was just a beautiful as the first rock. Carefully, Estel placed this new stone beside the first stone under his mattress then he turned his attention to the letter. It read:  
  
"To the mortal ranger boy,  
  
I believe that you know who this is. If not, then you are slower then you look. The net of branches that you so interestingly took much notice of in the last few days since your stay here has been quite agitating for me.  
  
You claim to be a ranger, yet you couldn't track a rabbit through a ash covered mountain. I have left a trail for you to follow. Try and find me find you can. I look forward to your arrival."  
  
Odd, the letter was written in common, when it is obviously written by the elf that has been on his mind since Estel first learned of its skills. *The stone must be significant to that elf somehow as well as that area. But what's the connection?* Estel walked over to the window to let in some fresh air. As he drew back the dark, thick curtains and the light shone in, he stood there for a moment with his eyes closed, basking in the morning sun. When he opened his eyes to the morning, his keen sight spotted a scrape of fabric stuck on the vines running along his window sill. *It must have got caught by the being that left me that note. The note! It said 'I have left a trail for you to follow.' A trail to follow? How does a scrape of material help me?*  
  
Estel pulled the cloth from where it was stuck; he studied it closely and felt an odd familiarity to it. He had seen it somewhere before. Even as he racked his brain straining for the distant memory of why he knew this fabric from somewhere, he knew he wouldn't find it that easy, this being meant to test him good and hard before revealing their identity. He decided that when the being thought it time for him to progress through his placed trail, the elf would provide more clues as to his identity. It was a waiting game; Estel only hoped that this game would be completed before he had to leave. Estel decided to have a quick, light breakfast before heading to the stables. As he downed the last of the drying bread, he quickly strolled off to the horse stables.  
  
As he strolled into the door he passed the equipment benches were the different types of elvish saddles, bridles and every other practical horse accessory were arranged. Elf saddle were among the finest crafts to be seen for miles around. He was just to the first stall holding a grey mare when the familiar feeling struck him again. He should have recognized the scrape of cloth, it was a particularly fine suede-type texture, used in many things such as bedding sheets, under clothes for armor and hair accessories. But it's main use was for making the lining of saddles. Of course! The elf wanted Estel to find him before he left for Mirkwood. *This might be easier that I first thought.* Now that he had solved the first clue, the next step was to find the next clue. Looking around, he saw several golden threads caught on a nail above a particularly fine saddle. Pulling off the threads, he felt a coarse, rough texture to them, the ranger boy had half expected them to be hair from the elf's head. But elf hair was thin and fine, this was rough. Though it looked like hair none the less. *Well my tricky little friend, I shall find you sooner or later. No matter how many clues I have to solve, your identity will be revealed. This I promise.* With that, the ranger pondered over this new clue as he half-heartedly attended to the horses. *Soon my friend, soon I will look upon you and know your name. Soon you will learn that Estel the ranger doesn't give up too easy.* Smiling smugly to himself, the ranger boy continued his work.  
  
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	3. The Missing Link

Young and the Senseless  
  
Chapter 3: The Missing Link  
  
** = thoughts () = translations " " = speech  
  
Estel had finally finished attending the horses and decided to begin to solve the clue of the stringy type hair. The only possible solution that he could think of was that it was horse hair. Because of its length it must have been from the tail. But that didn't help him much as the first clue led him to the saddles in the stables where he had found the next clue. It didn't make sense. *This isn't going to be as easy as I thought. It's going to take all my skills to decipher all these clues right.* Frustration grew in the ranger boy to its boiling point as the ranger boy searched all the stables that held the horses and searched them again. Still nothing out of the ordinary. No more clues or anything.  
  
Estel had just finished his third search of the horse stables when he had the feeling of being watched again. But not the same feeling, he turned and saw Thirden staring at him and looking extremely amused.  
  
"What do you think you are doing Estel? Surely you don't intend to try to memorise all the horses manure in their stables?" The older ranger laughed softly at his own joke.  
  
"No I don't" said Estel feeling slightly defensive. "I was just looking for something."  
  
"Like what?" Asked Thirden, thoroughly confused by the actions of the boy.  
  
"Just ... Um..." Estel silently debated whether to tell the ranger everything. About the feelings on the track to Mirkwood palace, about the stones and the clearing with an extremely thick canopy and about the clues that had been left for him to follow. But then he decided against it, not wanting to seem too much like a child. "I lost my pin. And I thought it may have feel in one of these stables. But I haven't found it so I probably dropped it somewhere else." Smiling slightly and blushing uncontrollably.  
  
"I didn't know that you had a pin." Thirden said clearly sceptical.  
  
"I... Only just got it." Estel wondered if Thirden would know he was lying and force him to tell the truth.  
  
"Ok then. What did it look like? Maybe I've seen it somewhere." *Estel, what are you not telling me? Something is wrong, I know it is. If he were any other boy he would have told me. Damn his stubbornness, I can only hope it's nothing too dangerous.* he thought helplessly.  
  
"It's .. A leaf..A um.. Mallorn Leaf... Deep green.. with delicate methril surrounding the leaf and.. as the veins on the leaf." Estel said vaguely remembering the brooch he always wore when he dreamed of what the future would be like for him.  
  
"I can't say that I've seen it, a leaf pin is common among the elves. But I do remember seeing several Mallorn shaped leaves at the clothing armoury within the palace. Maybe they could make you another one. Though methril seems more than you could afford." Thirden stared deep into the grey eyes of the boy as if he could mesmerise the boy to tell him the truth. But experience has told him that Estel doesn't give in easy and he has a stubborn streak longer then an elf's life.  
  
"Yes thank you, I think I'll do that now. See you at dinner." Estel said in conclusion of the uncomfortable confrontation between himself and Thirden. Walking quickly, Estel hurried away from the stables to escape any further altercation with Thirden. Estel made his way to the clothing armoury within the palace to ask about the pin, should Thirden decide to check if he had gone there.  
  
***************  
  
Legolas sat perched in a tree outside the palace stables watching carefully as the boy entered the stables. *Absolutely amazing! He must be really dense; he walked straight past the next clue. This could take a while.* the prince sighed as he found a more comfortable position to wait for the ranger to finish his jobs so that he might see the clue on the way out. Just as he found a good position, he saw the ranger back track to where the saddles where, and the next clue. He watched as the ranger saw the strands of horse hair that he had positioned in plain view on a nail above his own saddle.  
  
*What do you know? There's still hope for the boy.* Legolas decided to wait to see what the boy would do next. He leaned back against the tree and rested while the boy attended to the horses. *I wonder how he will interpret this clue.* Legolas wondered as he drifted into a light sleeping day-dream state.  
  
***************  
  
Estel knocked lightly on the door, wondering if anyone was going to be in at this time. As he was about to walk away, the door swung open to reveal a tall female elf. She looked to be around King Thranduil age. Her long brown hair flowed back from her head swaying softly from the rush of air produced from opening the door. Her forest green eyes looked down on him kindly but yet surprised.  
  
"Greetings young ranger. Please, come in. How may I be of assistance to you?" The beautiful elf stepped aside to allow him to enter and quietly closed the door behind him.  
  
"I was just wondering, if you could help me with a problem. I have recently misplaced a dear item of mine, a pin to hold my cloak, and I was wondering how much it would be to replace it." Estel said wondering if Thirden would come and ask the lady elf exactly what he had said.  
  
"I have the widest range of cloak pins around Mirkwood. I have made them all myself. I'm sure that we can find a pin to replace your lost one." Said the lady elf smiling sweetly at the boy, while moving over to the stand that held a large collection of pins, varying in shape, size and colour.  
  
"What did your lost pin look like?" said the lady elf kindly.  
  
"A leaf. A Mallorn leaf with methril surrounding the leaf and as the veins on the leaf." Said Estel, silently praying that his dream pin wouldn't be his undoing.  
  
"Seriously!" the lady elf laughed softly. "You must have gotten that from the woods of Lothlorien from Lady Galadriel. Many times have I heard of her dreams about such a pin. It sounded truly marvellous. But I'm afraid Lady Galadriel's craftsmanship us much more superior to my own. I dare not confine the beauty of such a piece. Unless you wish to be satisfied by my more humble pieces, I'm afraid you'll need to visit Lady Galadriel again." Estel listened to this with rapt attention, then seeing a gap in the conversation he choose to leave.  
  
"Thank you for your assistance my lady, I shall heed your advice when next I meet Lady Galadriel." bowing slightly out of caution, Estel left the armoury. *Well.. That wasn't a complete waste of time.* having broken off any trace that Thirden could use to force him to reveal everything. He couldn't let that happen. Just as he was about to mindlessly walk around pondering over the next clue trusting his instincts to lead him wherever, he saw the elf prince Legolas walking towards him hailing for him to wait up.  
  
*********************  
  
The elf prince saw the ranger boy leaving the stables and heading in the general direction of the archery range. *Amazing! He must be really brilliant to decipher the clue that fast! I might even learn something!* Climbing to the ground, he followed the ranger as he made his way to the archery range as well. As they approached the archery range, Legolas saw the ranger turn left, heading away from the range. *Where is he going? The next clue is at the range!* Legolas went to the equipment shed at the edge of the archery range and saw the ranger boy enter the clothing armoury. *Well, I gave him too much credit. I'll give him a hand with this one.* Resolved Legolas circling around the clothing armoury so that when the boy came out, Legolas could intercept him and invite him to the archery range.  
  
After only a few minutes, Legolas saw the boy come out of the armoury. The prince then quickly walked into view of the boy and started to wave at him.  
  
"Hey Estel!" said Legolas as he continued to stroll towards the waiting ranger boy. "Are you planning to visit the forest again today?" the prince inquired.  
  
"No, not today. I was just going to do a bit of thinking." Said the young ranger in a distracted tone.  
  
"Well, nothing helps me think better then a bit of exercise and some target practise. Would you care to accompany me to the archery range for some training?" Said the prince slightly raising his eye brows watching as the distracted look in the youth's face deserted him as the concept of training with the famous archer and elf prince came into full grasp.  
  
"Y... Yes. I would be honoured too, my prince." The youth stuttered out as he realised what an honour it is to train beside royalty, and not just any royalty, the best archer in Mirkwood!  
  
"Splendid! I shall have to see your archery skills for myself. I have spoken with Thirden and he has nothing but praise for your keen eye." said the elf prince as he watched the young ranger blushing madly at such praise. With Legolas slightly leading the way, the two walked towards the archery.  
  
********************* *Two hours later*  
  
"Well, I would have to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself, wouldn't you?" enquired the beaming elf to his completely exhausted mortal friend.  
  
"Let's just say it's an experience I won't soon forget." Estel said as he remembered that he had never once hit the centre of a single target. He had come close to it on all of the targets, but didn't hit it dead centre. The elf prince on the other hand had hit every single target dead centre without fail.  
  
"Come on Estel, you did well for a mortal on an elf designed archery course. Hit all the target's near centre. You might want to try locking your wrists before you release an arrow and don't try to force the arrow to hit the centre, try to guide it." Legolas said to give the boy something to mull over.  
  
"Ok, I'll try that when I've gathered my wits again." Estel said barely able to stand pulling any more of his arrows from the targets as his shoulders screamed from over using them without stretching properly.  
  
"Another reason why I was looking for you was that Lady Ravenne, the archery supervisor, has asked me to find you and give you this." He took out a box from his pack and handed it to Estel. "she said that some elf in a thick cloak completely wrapped up said that you had to get this as soon as possible. I was wondering around looking for you to ask if you wanted to train here when I found her and asked if she'd seen you, when she asked if I would give that to you when I found you I agreed as Lady Ravenne is quite busy looking after her niggling children." As Legolas said this, Estel was opening the box and saw a bottle of a dark liquid and another note. Pocketing the note quietly so the elf didn't see, Estel pulled out the bottle to get a closer look at it.  
  
"What is it?" Legolas enquired.  
  
"I'm .. Not sure .." Estel muttered truthfully.  
  
"Open it up. Maybe you can guess that way." Legolas said eagerly.  
  
"Ok." Estel pulled the stopper of it out and both elf and human were assaulted by a very overpowering smell.  
  
"That's... Some very... Strong.. mead." Legolas managed to say through a series of coughs. Estel put the stopper back on the bottle and breathed in several times to rid his nostrils of the overpowering smell of the alcoholic drink. "Why did someone want to give you that for? You don't drink do you? Thirden wouldn't like that." The young prince observed quietly so no one overheard.  
  
"No, I don't drink mead." Having an idea, Estel decided to enlist the help of Legolas to solve this clue, as all the other items lead him to the place where the clue originated from and that was where he found the next clue. *of course, the horse hair was to lead me to the archery range where I should have spoken to the supervisor, but she was busy so I didn't have to solve this clue, oh no, I should have thought of that earlier!* Estel told himself. "Where would someone get this type of mead? Somewhere in Mirkwood I mean."  
  
*does this fool think I was born yesterday? Trying to get me to solve his clue for him, lazy mortals. Oh well, I'm growing tired of this game anyway, he is the luckiest mortal I know, he hasn't properly solved a single clue by himself.* "There is a cellar in the palace that holds most of Mirkwood's meads and other preserving beverages."  
  
"Ok, I think I'll go see if I can find where this came from. Good bye Prince Legolas." Bowing slightly, the young ranger turned and hurried off to the palace mead cellar.  
  
*********************  
  
After his informative talk with Legolas, Estel went straight to the palace cellar. He didn't meet any body while he was near the cellar so he let himself in. Estel looked around the extremely dusty cellar. The cellar was your typical cellar; wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling was filled with shelves of mead, wine and many other drinks that need to mature over a long period of time. Each shelf had its date clearly marked on the top the year which they were made, the year they were placed here, and the year which they should mature in. As the life of an elf is long, the wine cellars are among the best for vintage aged meads.  
  
Walking through the seemingly endless aisles of mead, Estel seemed to think that he may be in the wrong place. No dust was unsettled, nothing out of the ordinary, no bottles were missing. It all seemed normal. Nearing the end of the maze of mead shelves, Estel came across a number of shelves that were empty. Looking at the date, he noticed that they matured this year and were most likely being drunk or sold by the elves. Wondering if this was of any significance, he suddenly remembered that he still had the note that accompanied the bottle of mead in his pocket. Taking it out he read it carefully. It said:  
  
"To the ranger boy,  
  
By now you should have practise in keeping your senses open to the area around you, caring and maintaining the horses and equipment and had your practise on the archery range. But how is your riding and swimming skills?  
  
In a maturing place where the dates are marked, find a place not touched by the passing time. Pull the lights, and watch your step. Through the passage you'll find a horse, he'll take you to the next clue. Find a white arrow and go the direction it is pointing you in. Then you'll find the next clue.  
  
See you very soon."  
  
* 'maturing place' that must be the cellar I'm in, everything is maturing here. The 'place not touched by the passing time' must mean this dustless shelf as it doesn't show the passing time as much as the others. 'pull the light' what could that mean?* Looking around, Estel saw two lit torches on either side of the shelf. He pulled on both of them one at a time. Nothing happened. Looking around, he saw a long pole which seemed very much out of character in the room. Picking up the pole, Estel threaded both ends through the stands on the torches and pulled them both done. A passage opened where Estel was standing and he feel through the hole. His fall wasn't broken by the hard ground, but rather it gradually turned into a type of slide that Estel slid down. Seeing a light up ahead he braced himself for the tumble he was about to have.  
  
Estel tumbled heavily along the ground and came to a slow stop. After staying still for a moment, dazed by what just transpired, he finally stood up shakily and assessed how his body has taken the fall. Apart for a few scratches on his arms and face, the scuff marks the tumbling on the ground left on his tunic and cloak and his now messy and dirt-ridden hair, he was normal.  
  
Looking around, he spotted the horse that was spoken of in the note. Still reflecting on what just happened he suddenly felt revived, he would soon meet the elf being that was enjoying teasing him and taking advantage of his curiosity.  
  
*Soon, very soon.* Estel thought as he walked to the horse with a new confidence.  
  
********************************************************************* Please review!  
  
They will meet without the veil of the clues or the game soon, and they will have to team up together to face an evil that seeks to destroy life, mainly their lives. 


	4. Horse Ride to Nowhere

Chapter 4: Horse Ride to Nowhere  
  
( ) = translation * * = thoughts " " = speech  
  
Estel read and re-read the note a few times. This horse knew the way to the way to the next clue? How long would it take? Would he be back before dark? Where was the next clue? What is the deal with the white arrow? *Too many questions, but I'm never going to get any answers just thinking about It.* Setting his resolve to ride the horse to the next clue he began to search through the packs to see what supplies he had been provided. In the pack, there was a water-resist cloak, a thick blanket, a spare tunic, a pair of boots, a small meal and a small med pack with a few bandages and two needles. After memorizing the contents of the pack he emptied his pockets of the two notes, the horse hair and the wine and placed them inside the pack also. He kept the stones in his pocket, not wanting to part with such beauty. He walked up to the horse, hoping it understood common.  
  
"Okay, I was directed to you, can you take me to the next clue?" The horse bucked its head in what can only be interpreted as a yes. "Thank you my friend. Please ride like the wind, speed is of the utmost urgency." He climbed up onto the horse, as soon as his feet were secured in the stir- rups, the horse took off, bolting through the trees and almost dislodging his rider in the process. After the shaky start, Estel managed to regain his bearing and hold on to the horse as it flew through the trees.  
  
***************  
  
Legolas watched on from the dense forest with glee as he saw the graceful horse galloping off towards the Blue Falls waterfall, near the borders of Mirkwood but far enough away to avoid the patrols. Estel was hanging on for everything he was worth struggling to regain his bearing before he fell off.  
  
This display of ungraceful and unorthodox riding was found extremely amusing by the elegant, graceful prince. *He did ask Fire Light to make haste.* Legolas smiled at the idiocy of the young ranger.  
  
" (Ride fast, Moonlight my friend, we must match your brother's speed) " The prince urged his snow white horse to ride hard. Taking off along a straighter, easier path that was running parallel to the curvy path that Estel took. *By taking this path, I should arrive before Estel with enough time to set up my little welcome.*  
  
***************  
  
After almost an hour of hard riding, Legolas had finally reached the top of the Blue Falls waterfall. *I hope Estel encountered as many detours as I did. I should have come here more often, it has changes too much. Even th trees feel different.* " (Stay here, Moonlight, stay quiet) "  
  
The prince elf then removed a length of thick, sturdy rope and tied it around a tree. The strong knot was tightened as legolas gave a mighty heave against the rope to ensure it could hold his weight. Satisfied that it could, he took a small pouch out from the pack on the horse.  
  
" (I'll be right back my friend) " Legolas reassured his stead. He then walked over to a rock and pushed it aside. *Strange, it seemed much heavier when I was younger.*  
  
Pushing the rock far enough, Legolas dropped the rope down the hole and Legolas lowered himself down. Once on the ground Legolas began working on igniting the candles. Being 2.900 years old, Legolas had plenty of practise using the night stones and soon the light was burning bright. Leaving one lit candle beside the rope, Legolas moved down the short path to the waterfall entrance, where Estel should enter the cave, he placed the second lit candle close to the entrance. He then pulled another note from his hidden pocket in his sleeve and placed it beside the candle. After he was sure the candle could draw the attention of the young ranger, he went back to the first candle and placed the carrying case and two more night stones, then climbed the rope.  
  
*See you soon Estel!*  
  
***************  
  
Estel arrived at the waterfall within approximately one hour. As he was directed to by the note found on the horse, he immediately secured the horse to a nearby tree and began to search the surrounding trees for a white arrow. After a fruitless search around the forest close to the waterfall, Estel remembered the note didn't say 'where' the arrow was. After a quick scan on the river bed, Estel concluded he needed to swim underneath the water the find the arrow. Removing his cloak he placed it into the pack on the horse. He left his quiver and bow on the saddle of the horse, hoping that they should be safe within the Mirkwood borders. He then wrapped the water-proof cloak that he found in the pack around it and secured it to his belt. After ensuring that all his swords and daggers were secure, Estel dove into the water and was soon rewarded with the discovery of an arrow made from white river stones. Following the direction of the arrow, Estel had discovered an underwater path. Following the trail, Estel had found a cave.  
  
Estel broke through the surface of the water, gasping in lungfuls of damp cave air into his oxygen-stricken lungs. Climbing out of the water, the young ranger lay on his back, gasping for breathe as he tried to slow his rapidly beating heart. *When I get back to the northern training facilities, I'm going to work on holding my breathe underwater and swimming with shoes on.* After wringing as much water as possible from his clothes and emptying the water in his boots into small pools on the cave floor, Estel looked around the cavern and noticed a light.  
  
Walking towards the light, he noticed that it was a candle, a candle that looked suspiciously like the candles that often lit the tables and halls in the palace. *Maybe the person works at the palace.* Beside the candle was yet another note. Drying his hands as best he could on his damp tunic, he picked up the note. It read:  
  
"Ranger boy,  
  
Dry yourself off. There's a spare tunic in the pack you should have bought with you. Don't want you to freeze before you find me, now do we? Clue: Light to Light then twice up you go."  
  
Estel mulled over this for a few moments. * 'light to light'? Well, that must mean this candle, but to another light Must be another candle somewhere. An maybe an exit, or another clue.* Estel dried himself with the thick blanket as best he could without trying to saturate the blanket in case he needed it dry for later. Stripping off his wet tunic, Estel quickly changed into the spare tunic that was in the pack. This spare tunic at first looked heavy and tough but when he put it on, it was surprisingly light, *of course, it's an elf tunic, plenty of room and flexibility to accommodate the elven lifestyle and tough enough to remain sturdy.* He quickly changed his shoes to the dry one's he found in the pack, they were too big for him. *maybe the elf thought I had big feet.* Estel wrung the rest of the water from his old tunic and shoes, then wrapped them in the water proof cloak to stop the water from wetting the other contents in his pack.  
  
Wearing the new drier tunic and boots, and all his possessions in the pack, he shouldered the pack, picked up the candle and set out to find the other 'light' the note talked about. However, not far down the track, Estel ran into a division in the path. Two tunnels that went in opposite directions. *If I go the wrong way, who knows how much of a detour it would be, or how long it will take to get back on track. Better choose carefully* Putting down his pack and the candle, Estel closed his eyes and threw his senses into the atmosphere around him. As Estel could depend on his eyes to guide him, he used his other senses to aid him. His hearing caught the sound of rustling leaves, but due to the close quarters in the cave, he couldn't be sure of were it came from, he moved to his next sense, touch. He placed his hands on the wall and felt for any type of vibration that could signal the way out. Again he felt nothing. Then he moved to his next sense, smell. He walked several steps into the tunnel leading right, took several deep breaths and memorized what he smelt on the air. Then he walked several steps into the tunnel leading left. Again he took several deep breaths and let them out. *This tunnel has the freshest air, I'll go down this one*  
  
Estel walked for what seemed liked an age. His shoulders were still sore from the archery practice with Legolas and his legs and buttocks were saw from the fast paced horse ride on the way hear, and the sudden jumps the horse did when they ran into a fallen tree or a small mountain slide. He had to back track more than a few times. Finally, as the smell of fresh air became more distinct, Estel saw the flickering of light around the corner, anticipation caused his steps to go longer in an attempt to reach the light sooner.  
  
Rounding the corner, Estel was confronted with a candle identical to the one he was holding. And directly beside the candle, Estel saw a pack with two more beautiful stones. Both black but one had red veins and the other had white. Estel finally discovered the significance of these stones. These were the Night Stones that elves used to light their way if they don't have a candle, or they could be used to light a candle or torch. They emit heat and light when the elf holding it says a special phrase which no one but the rightful owner of the stone can ever know.  
  
Placing the two new stones next to the two stones had found earlier with the clues, he shouldered his pack yet again and began the climb up the rope.  
  
*****************  
  
He reached the top with only a small pain in his toe that was caused when the rocks he was using to help pull him up came loose and he tried to regain his footing too fast and kicked his toe. Scrambling out into the sunshine, Estel had to cover his eyes and squint into the bright mid- afternoon light. When his eyes had become accustom to the light, Estel looked around for the next clue; all he saw was a pile of junk. A larger search of the area showed there was nothing out of the ordinary.  
  
*how is a pile of junk supposed to help me?* Estel rummaged through the pile heartlessly. All there that was in the pile was an old grapple hook, two pieces of curved, thick, hard metal and 5 small rusty metal pieces in the shape of stars among a large assortment of broken orc armour, broken weapons. *What an odd combination. This is supposed to get me somewhere?? There must be a clue, grapple hook, curved metal and stars. There's no connection. Wait, the last clue, I've only done half of it. 'light to light, then twice up you go.' I've gone the light of one candle to the light of another, and went up the rope, but I'm supposed to go up twice.* Estel turned around and saw that there was indeed another place that he had to go up. It was a very steep, mean looking mountainside wall. Looking at the vertical seemingly unclimbable wall, Estel gulped at the task he was supposed to do. He walked over to the wall and looked it over for the first few hand holds.  
  
*It's sheer rock, no holds of any kind for quite a while up, certainly way out of my reach. I could use the rope to climb up but it hasn't been attached to the cliff already. It isn't anchored properly. I must have to use something. The grapple hook!! I'll have to attach the rope to it, toss it up then climb up, oh man, that means I'm going to have to take my pack with me and it's already heavy enough. I'll just take what I think I'll need, if I don't need it, I'll pitch it somewhere. Man my pack is going to be heavy. Shoulders, I hope you're ready for this.* Estel moved over to the tree that held the rope secure. Quickly undoing the elf knot, Estel attached the grapple hook onto the rope. Securing the rope to the hook was the easy part, getting the grapple caught on a steady piece of rock so that he could climb was not.  
  
After several attempts, Estel finally caught the grapple on a seemingly stable rock, but on the first tug, it quickly became dislodge. It took Estel many attempts and many failures before he finally got the grapple lodged in a wedge of rock and it seemed to be stuck fast. Estel quickly heaved himself up the rope, going as fast as he could so as to save his shoulders from the pack that was now packed full of junk.  
  
Finally reaching the place that the grapple had finally caught on, Estel tried to dislodge it to help get him up the rest of the mountain. However, the grapple wouldn't budge. It was caught in a crack in the rock and having to support both Estel's weight and the weight of all the junk, it had become deeply imbedded in the rock and Estel had no chance to get it free. Admitting defeat, Estel finding just untied the rope, curled it up, tied it to his belt then set to the new task, getting up the wall without a grapple. Feeling the rock, he was surprise to feel it fall away. The rock here was very soft. It moved away as he dug his hands into the rock.  
  
*This isn't rock; it looks like stone but feels like sand. Unusual, if I should be able to climb this easy as I can make my own hand and foot holes.* Trying to test his theory, Estel kicked the wall to see how far his foot would go in and if it could support his weight. It went in easy enough; however, it didn't stay in, as soon as he put any weight on it, the sandstone beneath it gave way. *If only I could manage to get my foot in further, then it should support my weight. But how? If I do it too many times, my feet will be so sore I won't be able to walk, let alone continue on this quest.* Thinking to the junk in case, he remembered the two curvy pieces of thick metal. If he slid them into his shoes, they should make it easier to climb. Setting his pack on the narrow ledge, Estel quickly found the two pieces and slipped them into his shoes. *This elf is smart; it saved enough room for these pieces as it knew I would need them. I just thought it thought I had big feet. I look forward to meeting this elf very much.*  
  
*********************  
  
Estel had finally finished scaling the wall. It had taken an hour, but he got there. Estel stood up as straight as he could to stretch every muscle in his body and give it some time to recover his strength and have something to eat. He took out the now squashed bread and slightly stale cheese and sat down to relax as he enjoyed the simple meal. He had only a few hours left until it would be completely dark. He finished the meal much too fast for his liking. It wasn't very filling, just enough to keep him going. Shouldering his pack again, Estel set out to find the next clue.  
  
Looking around, Estel finally found the next clue. Unfortunately, it was in an unclimbable tree and was hanging by a piece of rope that went across a wide gap and was attached to a target on the other side. The rope was positioned in the dead centre of the target.  
  
*Oh great, that's just fantastic. I couldn't bring my bow and arrows or they would have gotten wet. I need something shape to throw at it. The stars! This is freaking me out slightly now, this elf has set every task for me to use the items that it arranges me to. I've never even seen one of these before let alone used one. Can't be too hard, after all, it did give me...* Estel counted them quickly. *TEN!!! TEN!!! Oh man, this elf must have little faith that I'll be able to do it. Ok, I'll just pretend it's like a bow and arrow. Lock the wrist, square the shoulders, guide the star to the target. And throw...* Estel threw the star, it landed just below the target. Estel repeated this 8 more times. Each time he was just short of it. *One left Estel. If you miss this, then you'll have to depart with one or possibly all of your daggers, better get it right.* Estel breathed slowly, calming himself, and he focused on the target, and threw the star and quickly closed his eyes. He knew that he had hit the target when he felt like a bunch of rocks hit him on the head. It was the next clue. Another note accompanied by more stones. There stones however weren't the special Night Stones, they were boring ordinary stones. The note said:  
  
"To the ranger boy,  
  
Climb down, from your place now, and head towards the sun set, you will find me on the way waiting for you."  
  
*That's it, I climbed up a huge cliff just to get a note that says to climb down again and head west. Oh man, that is so not fair.*  
  
**************  
  
Estel had finally made it to the bottom of the mountain. His pack was considerably lighter as he assumed that he no longer needed the other junk items. But he kept the caps in his boots, as it made walking easier when he didn't have to worrying about his boots slipping.  
  
*Soon* Estel promised himself *Soon I will know my tricky little elf friend.* Estel was so preoccupied with his triumph that he didn't pay attention to his surrounding. As he walked through a particularly thick piece of shrub, on the other side, he came face-to-face with a group of 30 ugly orcs. *AHHH!!!!!!* Estel was frozen with shock. He felt the rough ugly hands of the orcs grab him before he could gather his thoughts again. He felt himself being tied and his pack and weapons taken from me. Estel was in shock. This was his first encounter with an orc. Sure he had seen them at a distance. But the other rangers had always made him stay behind, at a safe distance. The stench was over powering. He couldn't think with that smell. Or the sight of such a hideous face in front of him. What was he going to do? No one but the tricky elf had the faintest idea where he was. He had heard the pleasure that orcs got out of torturing people that were stupid enough to stumble upon them. *Stupid people like Me.* Estel chided himself, he should have heard the orcs, they aren't the most quiet of creatures. Even if his hearing wasn't working properly, his nose was. The smell was enough to warn the creatures, why didn't he smell it?  
  
"Such a pretty, little, human child. I wonder why he decided to visit our modest camp. He's not an elf. Maybe he was with an elf friend. We could use him as bait to lure any elf friends he had out there. They would be more fun to torture then a mere human child." Said the orc that he first ran into, at least, Estel thought it was the first orc Estel ran into when we emerged from the dense vines, Estel couldn't be sure; all the hideous creatures looked alike.  
  
"A good idea, a much better prey then a stupid child. Tie him to the large boa pine tree that Yuikli tied the last one to, it has a good view." Said the orc, what Estel assumed was the head orc in the group, with a malicious smile on his face. "And if he has no friends, then we can ensure that he never will make any. Make sure you tie him properly, and gag him, don't want our little piggy to squeal on us." At the lack of response from Estel the head orc laughed. "He's still too stunned to respond. Probably never meet an orc before, let's make it an experience he'll never forget." The head orc still laughed as Estel was dragged off and fastened to a tree just outside the camp. *Nice going Estel, now what are you going to do?* Estel pondered to himself, not quite sure on how to answer it.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Please review. Due to my slow posting of chapter 3, I decided to postpone my studies to bring you this chapter as fast as humanly/elfingly possible. (is elfingly even a word??) Hope you's enjoy it! ( 


	5. UPDATE

Sorry, but here's a very important update!!!  
  
SCHOOL IS OVER!!!!! NO MORE EXAMS, NO MORE ASSIGNMENTS (well, at least at compulsory school, I've got uni. but that's different, I choose to go to uni.) AND BEST OF ALL NO MORE STUPID RELIGION (STUDY OF RELIGION) LESSONS!!!!!!! YEY, SCHOOLIES!!!!!!!!!!  
  
But that's only part of the update. As I know have 2 months and hardly anything to fill that time. I am going to have a lot of free time. Currently, I have three stories going. I love all of them. But I'm going to update one at a time. Lol, I'll get there eventually.  
  
So, I hope you will read and review ALL of my stories. And have fun!!! 


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